HighPublic exploit

Axios Node.js HTTP adapter Proxy-Authorization header leak on redirect

IdentifiersCVE-2026-44486CWE-200· Exposure of Sensitive Information…

CVE-2026-44486 is an information exposure vulnerability in Axios affecting the Node.js HTTP adapter prior to versions 0.32.0 and 1.16.0. When Axios is configured to use an authenticated proxy, it may attach a Proxy-Authorization header to outbound requests. In affected versions, if Axios automatically follows a redirect and the redirected request is no longer routed through the proxy, the previously set Proxy-Authorization header can persist and be forwarded to the redirect target. As a result, proxy credentials intended only for the intermediary proxy may be disclosed to the destination server. The issue affects Node.js deployments using Axios with automatic redirects enabled and authenticated proxy configuration; browser adapters are not affected.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation can disclose authenticated proxy credentials, including proxy usernames and passwords, to an attacker-controlled redirect target. An attacker operating a server contacted by the vulnerable application can induce a redirect and capture the leaked Proxy-Authorization header. This can enable unauthorized use of the victim's proxy infrastructure, exposure of sensitive credentials, and potential follow-on access depending on how the proxy account is scoped and reused.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, disable automatic redirect following by setting maxRedirects to 0 and handle redirects manually. Avoid sending requests to untrusted HTTP origins through authenticated proxies when redirect behavior is not strictly controlled. Review and align HTTP_PROXY, HTTPS_PROXY, and NO_PROXY settings to reduce cases where a redirect causes Axios to switch unexpectedly from a proxied connection to a direct connection.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade Axios to a fixed release: 1.16.0 or later, or 0.32.0 or later on the 0.x branch where applicable. The fix removes stale Proxy-Authorization headers before proxy settings are re-applied during redirect handling, preventing credential leakage to non-proxy redirect targets.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

AxiosAxiosapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

7 sources tracked across advisories and community write-ups. News coverage will land here when it surfaces.

7 SOURCESView more in app

No news coverage yet. Advisories and community discussion only.

What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

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Exposure mapping

Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.

Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity7

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.

EXTERNAL REFERENCES

MITRE CVE

cve.org · CVE-2026-44486

NVD

nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44486

MITRE CWE · CWE-200

Exposure of Sensitive Information to an…

Vendor Advisory

github.com/axios/axios/security/advisories/GHSA-j5f8-grm9-p9fc